Living in Camden

Camden Town has two populations: the people who live here and the crowds who visit. From Friday to Sunday the stretch from the station to the canal is packed with market-goers heading for the Lock, the Stables and the food stalls along the Regent's Canal, and Camden High Street becomes difficult to walk along at any speed. Residents learn the back routes quickly.

Music is the constant. The Roundhouse at Chalk Farm, the Electric Ballroom, the Jazz Cafe and a long list of pubs with back rooms mean there is a gig on most nights, and the late-night economy runs deep into the weekend. That energy is why people move here, and also why a flat on or near the high street can be very noisy.

Step a few streets away and the area is more residential than its reputation suggests. Camden Square and the roads around it are handsome Victorian terraces; towards Primrose Hill the houses get grander, and to the east and north there are large council estates and newer canal-side blocks. Regent's Park, London Zoo and Primrose Hill are all within walking distance, and the canal towpath offers a quiet walk or cycle to King's Cross or Little Venice.

Camden Town station is where the Northern line's two northern branches meet, so trains south to the West End and the City are frequent, but the station itself is cramped and gets congested at weekends. Kentish Town and Mornington Crescent are useful alternatives a short walk away. Camden suits people who want to be in the middle of things and do not mind sharing their neighbourhood with half of London every weekend.